40 AND COUNTING
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The Los Angeles Times this season marks the 40th anniversary of the selection of its first all-Orange County football team, a tradition that began when Disneyland was in its infancy and orange groves still lined the county’s roads. Some highlights of those first 40
TIMES CHANGE
The number of county schools playing 11-man football:
1959: 21
1979: 56
1999: 68
The average size of the linemen on the all-county team:
1959: 5-11, 183
1979: 6-3, 222
1999: 6-4, 252
LOCAL BOYS MAKE GOOD
All-county players who went on to become:
LETTERMEN AT USC: 35
LETTERMEN AT UCLA: 33
HEISMAN TROPHY WINNER: John Huarte (right), QB Mater Dei, 1959-60, Notre Dame 1964
CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICANS
Ken Margerum, WR, Fountain Valley 1976, Stanford 1979-80
Joe Garten, OG, Valencia 1985, Colorado 1989-90
Tony Gonzalez, TE, Huntington Beach 1992-93, California 1996
Kris Farris, OL Santa Margarita 1994, UCLA 1998
ONCE IS NOT ENOUGH
NUMBER OF PLAYERS NAMED TWICE: 54
NUMBER OF PLAYERS NAMED THREE TIMES: 1
Oscar Wilson, a standout defensive lineman at Santa Ana, was named to the all-county three times from 1987-89, and is one of only three sophomores to be named to the first team.
MULTI-TALENTED
All-county players who went on to be named to the Topps major league baseball all-rookie team:
Gary Holman (left), Brea Olinda 1960, Washington Senators 1968
Gary Carter, Sunny Hills 1970, Montreal Expos 1975
Garry Templeton, Santa Ana Valley 1972-73, St. Louis Cardinals 1976
Bob Hamelin, Irvine, 1985
MOST HONORED
The schools with the most first-team all-county players:
Mater Dei 77
Anaheim 66
Servite 52
Esperanza 40
Santa Ana 39
Santa Ana Valley 39
Westminster 39
Edison 35
Fountain Valley 35
Newport Harbor 32
Los Alamitos 30
El Toro 22
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